Project: Chimera
by Nevair
Summary: Alan is injected with a serum designed to create the perfect soldier. As his family are held hostage to ensure his cooperation, can the new generation of soldiers defeat their makers?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT, repeat, do NOT own the Thunderbirds. But I can pretend, can't I?

Alan Tracy walked sulkily to the waiting bus outside Wharton Academy. Don't get him wrong, Alan loved his family, but there was something about having your dad and four older brothers chaperoning a field trip that was just _wrong. _No matter how wrong it was though, that's what was happening.

On a spur- of- the- moment decision (or temporary fit of insanity, as Alan thought) Jeff Tracy had decided that since Thunderbird 5 was still undergoing repairs and Lady Penelope and Parker were at the island, he should leave them in charge of International Rescue and for the first time since he created the organization, he would have a nice outing with his five sons. So, here he was, walking a path of utter humiliation to the bus with said father and older brothers that would take Alan and his athletics class to the great outdoors for a three day camping/hiking trip.

"Hey Tracy! Isn't that your family?" A boy ran up to Alan as they made their way to the bus where his family was standing. Alan blushed crimson; to avoid the teasing he knew he would get, he had conveniently forgotten to tell his classmates who their adult chaperones were to be.

"Yeah, that's them all right." Alan noted with a sense of dread that Gordon and Virgil were grinning and waving at him madly. He groaned inwardly. _I'm never going to hear the end of this!_

His classmates filed onto the bus as Jeff ticked off their names on the clipboard he held. Despite being a normally rowdy and out-of-control bunch, the kids maintained some level of control around Jeff Tracy, the billionaire ex-astronaut who also happened to have been in the military. They weren't sure quite what to expect of him and the four men that seemed just as imposing standing next to him.

"Hey squirt! You better get ready for some of dad's 'survival training' this weekend. He's been going on about this 'perfect opportunity to share his knowledge of deep woods survival with the next generation' since he volunteered for this trip." Gordon clasped Alan on the back as he smiled with the evilest grin Alan had ever seen, before following him onto the bus. Being one of the last to arrive, Alan had the pleasure of sitting at the front of the bus with his family.

"Hey, where's Benny?" the boy that had noticed Alan's family, Bret, asked the bus driver.

"Sick today, m'fraid. I'll be driving for ya's this trip." The middle aged man smiled kindly at them before closing the doors and starting up the engine. Taking his seat with Bret he watched as Gordon, Virgil, and John sat in the seat in front of him, while Scott and his dad took the one adjacent to theirs.

Three days with his family, who wouldn't hesitate in the slightest to tell his friends embarrassing stories, or to just plain embarrass him by being there. Alan sighed and sat back in the leather seat of the bus, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window. He could see dark storm clouds in the distance, promising rain.

"Sit tight fellas, we got about a three hour drive ahead of us!" The bus driver looked in his rearview mirror at his passengers quickly before pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road.

_Oh joy. _Alan thought as he sighed and closed his eyes, hoping he could get some sleep before the long hike they had when they arrived. It was early in the morning, and Alan really wasn't a morning person. Letting the gentle murmur of his classmates behind him and the rush of the bus on the pavement lull him to sleep, Alan began to drift off.

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John turned around in his seat to look at his baby brother. He was probably the one that John spent the least amount of time with, as he was constantly up on Thunderbird 5. He smiled when he noticed that Alan had his eyes closed, head lolling against the window. It would be nice for the whole family to spend some time together, even if it was with twenty other kids from Alan's class. The best thing about this little trip though, was the fact that his dad was happy. It was rare that he had all of his sons together, and for the next three days he didn't have to worry about them risking their lives in a rescue.

"John." He felt Gordon poke him in his side as he turned to look at the second youngest Tracy. Gordon gestured with his head to Alan, sleeping just behind them.

"What?" John asked. He watched with amusement as Gordon slowly started to move up so that he was hanging off the back of their seat, trying to get within reaching distance of Alan. By now he had attracted Virgil's attention, who watched with the same amusement as John did.

"Gordon, what are you doing?" Scott too had apparently noticed Gordon's odd choice of seating, which in turn called their father's attention.

Shushing his brothers, Gordon stuck his finger in his mouth and quickly shoved it in Alan's ear.

"GORDON!" Alan yelled when he was awoken by something cold and wet being forced into his ear. He smacked Gordon upside the head, which was still within reach due to the fact that he was laughing too hard to pull himself back down onto his seat.

Next to Alan, Bret began to laugh. Turning, Alan glared at his supposed friend, which, oddly, only made him laugh harder.

"It must be nice to have brothers." Bret said once he had calmed down a little. He was an only child and watched with envy as Alan playfully fought with his four siblings.

Alan smiled at him, breaking off refereeing the arm wrestling between Virgil and John.

"It is, it really is."

Jeff smiled at his sons' antics. He was used to them by now, and knew that he only had to intervene when there was a danger of serious bodily harm. It was nice to have them together again, especially to have John home. _Yes, _he thought, _a nice, quiet, family vacation. Of a sort. _

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Mikal checked his rearview mirror once again, grinning at the sight of the many teenagers sitting obliviously behind him. He turned the bus onto a semi-concealed road and continued down it, every once in a while glancing at the soon-to-be recruits that had so willingly gotten onto a bus that would take them to their new home.

"Mikal here, respond please." He spoke into the radio, checking to make sure the adults that had accompanied the teenagers on this trip weren't listening in.

"Base here, go ahead Mikal. What's your position?" The voice crackled over the radio waves.

"Just turned onto X11, we'll be there shortly. Get ready to greet our guests." Mikal said with a feral grin. A busload of new recruits, not bad for a day's work. He checked his watch. 15 minutes to game time, and then all the gloves would be off.

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Jeff Tracy looked out the window with a frown. They were heading towards what appeared to be a large complex of some kind. Definitely not where they were supposed to be going. Glancing quickly at his eldest he noticed him surveying their surroundings as well. This couldn't be good.

"Hey, where are we? Think you took a wrong turn!" Scott called up to the bus driver. Mikal smiled at him in the mirror. Before anyone could react, the bus had pulled to a stop and Jeff was looking down the barrel of a nice, shiny pistol, courtesy of the bus driver, Mikal.

"What the hell?" Gordon made as if to jump out of his seat, but was stopped by the sudden appearance of several more men walking onto the bus, all dressed in head-to-toe black with military issue combat boots.

"Boys and Girls, take a seat, sit back, relax, and nobody gets hurt." Mikal said with a cheery smile, gun still trained on Jeff. The men that had boarded the bus each trained a gun on Scott, Virgil, John and Gordon. While they kept the adults occupied, Scott watched as more men boarded, each carrying what appeared to be a hypodermic in their hands, filled with a blood-red solution. Scott lost sight of them as they moved to the back of the bus.

Moments later, John and his brothers watched anxiously as the men returned to the front of the bus, each carrying an unconscious child and an empty needle. They worked methodically; four would board, inject a child each, and carry them off the bus while five more made sure the adults did nothing.

"Listen, what the hell do you think you're doing? These are just kids!" Scott cried angrily as he watched yet another child be carried off the bus.

"They're our new recruits. Now, I suggest you sit tight and shut up, or someone's not gonna live to see training day." Mikal sneered at him.

Utterly confused, Scott still caught the threat. Sitting back slightly in his seat he turned to look at his brothers. They looked just as pissed as he did, and just as helpless. Turning a little more Scott noticed that the bus had practically been emptied; All that remained where Alan, Bret, the two across from them and the four behind them.

Four more men came and left with four more children. Jeff's jaw clenched when the next round of men came on the bus, heading for Alan and Bret. He nearly lost it when he saw Alan glare at the man angrily, yet not move away from the needle as it was inserted in his neck and emptied. Alan knew his family would pay if he fought.

Scott watched on helplessly as Alan fought to keep his eyes open, before surrendering to the darkness within moments. His youngest brother was carried off with the last group of kids and the five men that remained motioned for the rest of the Tracy's to stand up.

"Head off the bus now, nice and slowly. Don't worry about the kiddies; you'll get front row seats to their training. How does it feel to know that you'll witness the birth of the next generation of soldiers?" Mikal said with a sadistic laugh as he shoved them off the bus and through the open gate to the complex.

No one said a word as they were led across an open area and into a large building. Through the blank walled hallways and into a plain, large square room with floor to ceiling windows in one wall that faced out onto the training grounds they had walked past, only one thing kept running through each of the five men's minds.

_Alan. Oh God, they took Alan. _

**A/N: **I know this chapter might be a little confusing, hopefully not too bad, anyways, things will start to make sense reeeaaaally quick, but if no one's interested in this chapter, there's really no point in me uploading the next one soooo REVIEW. :D I'm done now…click the purple button, you know you want to…


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: not mine, nope, nu uh, just borrowing.**

A/N: Wow! I've never gotten so many reviews so soon! Thanks guys /does happy dance/

**PKW: no, Fermat isn't there, it was Alan's athletics class that went, and I'm thinking he isn't too athletic and wouldn't be in there! He'll be in the later chapters though!**

**Getpink: thanks! Glad you like the idea!**

**Iniysa: hehe, I like purple too lol. And I didn't know you COULD change the colors, that'd be cool though…**

**Cheryl: here's the update! Hope you like it!**

**Sam1: you'll find out a lot more from Alan's point of view in the next chapter, this one's more on what Jeff and the boys see from their little prison. **

**Thowra-angel: I'm writing as fast as I can! Lol, thanks for the review!**

**The magik dragon: Thanks! Hope you like this chapter as well!**

**Rachie Loves Donald Duck: Glad you like the idea! It's been pestering me to write it for a while now, sure am glad I did with all these reviews! **

**Andrewjameswilliams: you could say that…and they will most DEFINITELY get what's coming to them…I just want to make Alan and the others suffer a little first lol…oh yeah, they definitely messed with the wrong people!**

**Agent Five: yes well, I had to have them all together some how, didn't I? Lol, hopefully this chapter won't disappoint!**

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Jeff, Scott, Virgil, Gordon and John were led over to stand before the window in a line. The men behind them took a step back and a humming sound began to fill the room. Turning quickly, the five men noticed that they had been separated from each other and the rest of the room with a type of clear, shimmering, energy field; effectively imprisoning them with a perfect view of the outside training grounds.

"Enjoy your stay fellas." Mikal said with a smirk as he gave a little wave and vacated the room, leaving its trapped occupants to themselves.

Scott surveyed the room they were in. The windowed wall made up the front of their cages, where the energy field created the final three walls. John, Gordon, and Virgil were to his right, his father and…_who is that? _

Looking to his left, past his dad, Scott saw another man sitting dejectedly on the floor of his own cage. About to point out the man to his father, Scott was distracted by Gordon's choked cry.

"Dad…" As one, the four men turned to the second youngest Tracy and followed his gaze out the window and to the empty yard below. Or, what used to be an empty yard. Poles had appeared in a line on the far side from their prison, and chained to each pole was a child. They seemed to be just waking up, a couple hesitantly standing on wobbly legs as they took in their strange surroundings.

Virgil scanned the faces of the teens anxiously. _Where is he? Where is he?_ He caught a glimpse of blond hair and immediately looked to it. There, near the end of the row of poles, was Alan. His baby brother was sitting slumped against his pole, unmoving.

"There!" John cried. He, too, had spotted their youngest and pointed him out to the others. Seeming to sense their gaze on him, Alan's head lifted slowly and he shook it, as if trying to clear it, looking around himself in a daze.

Jeff's gaze was torn away from his little boy as several of the men that they had seen earlier entered the training ground. They stood in military stance, forming an imposing line before the youths.

As they watched, one man approached the first chained boy in line and un-cuffed him. Gripping his upper arm, the man led him to stand in front of the black-clad men. Looking closely, Scott could see the rough outline of a circle, kind of like you would see on a wrestling mat, that the boy stood in the center of.

One of the military men stepped forward, standing just in front of the terrified teen, and moved into a fighting stance. Without warning, he struck.

"What the hell are they doing!" Jeff screamed. Watching the boy take the blow to the stomach, he realized that him and his four sons had moved until they were practically pressed up against the window.

"They're testing them." The voice was unfamiliar and unexpected. Jumping slightly, the Tracy men turned to the man that Scott had noticed earlier. He was gazing blankly out the window, watching as the boy was led out of the circle and out of sight. The next boy in line was unchained and led to the circle.

"What? Testing for what?" Gordon asked, confused. The others watched as, again, the boy took a couple of hits and was then led out of sight.

"To see if the serum took to them. If they were compatible with it." Again, the man spoke but didn't look at his fellow prisoners.

"What the hell are you talking about? What's going on here? What the hell is this place?" Scott was losing his patience, and fast. He didn't like being kept prisoner while his captors decided to beat up some kids in front of him.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning?" Jeff said, the voice of reason right now as his sons stared in fury at the men that were slowly making their way through the line of children.

Oddly though, some of the children fought back, and well. Unusually well. The man they were fighting was big, but they dodged and hit with seemingly little effort, causing him to stumble out of the circle. The fighters were the minority though it seemed, as already they had gone through five children and only two had managed to defeat their opponent. The ones that did fight were taken back to their poles and chained again.

"They called it Project Chimera." The man's voice cut through the room once again. Turning to the pale, drawn face of the man next to him, Jeff noticed he still continued to stare out the window as he spoke. "It was a government project that was meant to revolutionize the way we trained soldiers. My lab was asked to begin researching the advantages of animal characteristics; Strength, speed, balance, endurance, their heightened eyesight and hearing. We developed a serum that was to act as a sort of program. Encoded into it was all the information that a soldier needed and received in training. Things such as codes, computer programming abilities, strategizing, survival techniques, every fighting technique known to man, weapons usage, everything. We put the information into the serum and combined it with animal DNA. After researching we agreed that felines were the best of the animal species to use; they were natural hunters, excellent fighters, and overall simply seemed the logical choice."

The man paused, taking a shaky breath before continuing to his rapt audience. "The serum was supposed to enter the bloodstream and imprint all of its programs into the genetic code of the host. The hosts DNA would change, accepting the new information and overnight we had the perfect soldier. We could create an army within days. An army of stronger, faster, soldiers. Soldiers with higher endurance, heightened senses, faster reflexes, and the all the knowledge they ever needed to get the job done.

Basically it was a computer program for the perfect killer. But, like computer programs, you need a computer that has the right software on it to read the program. We discovered that the chances of the code taking to someone over the age of 18 were less than 3. So, we turned to younger children. The children were more likely to be compatible if they already displayed some of the characteristics we programmed into the Chimera serum. Active children, children that had natural leadership skills, children that knew some kind of fighting style or discipline, were more likely to be compatible. And the ones that are? They're perfect. It works exactly as we expected, better even. Chimera took innocent children and turned them into warriors." The last was said with a not so subtle tone of disgust. With a sigh, the man ran his hands through his short, steel colored hair.

"Are you telling me that my son is now part _animal? _And he's got all the knowledge of a soldier. Are you kidding me?" Jeff said incredulously. _This can't be happening, not to Alan. Not my baby boy…_ Shaking, Jeff slid down one of the walls of his cage, his head coming to rest in his hands.

It was no question in their minds as to whether or not Alan's body had accepted the code. Somehow, they just knew. Sharing a worried look with his siblings, Scott tried to avoid thinking too much about his baby brother becoming the perfect assassin and part cat, which is basically what it sounded like had happened. Instead, he turned to the man that had so calmly ripped his family apart.

"Mr…?" Scott started, realizing he hadn't yet heard the scientist's name.

"Langstead, Dr. Drake Langstead." The man said, still gazing blankly outside to where the men were systematically testing each child they had taken. They were nearing the end now.

"Dr. Langstead, what happens to the kids that weren't changed by the serum?" Scott asked.

"The serum breaks up naturally in their bloodstreams, no side effects, no complications. They get to go home, back to their families and their lives as if nothing happened. None of them are a threat either, they tell them that if any of this gets out, the ones that stay here will pay the price." Langstead answered with an empty sounding laugh. "As if they could kill them, those children are more than capable of tearing them to pieces barehanded if they so wished."

"If you created this, Chimera thing, how come you're stuck here with us?" Gordon asked, looking over at the scientist curiously.

"They wanted to take my daughter, that's why." For the first time since they entered that god-forsaken building, the man looked away from the window. Cold, sad, grey eyes taking in for the first time his new roommates.

"Dad! They've reached Alan!" at the sound of Virgil's voice, Jeff's head snapped up and all eyes turned to the circle where Alan was shoved roughly to stand in the very middle.

Faces strained, hands clenched, barely breathing, the five Tracy men watched. Praying that Alan had somehow remained unaffected, that he would be able to go home and not be forced to live in this cage. In their hearts they knew it was hopeless; he had everything that Dr. Langstead said would make him more accepting of the Chimera code.

So, when the first blow connected solidly to Alan's side, it was an understatement to say that they were shocked. Hope flared once again, and they inched closer to the glass between them and their youngest family member.

John grimaced as Alan took another hit, this one right across the face. To his surprise, Alan neither moved nor made a noise. He was so sure it would have changed him…

"They should have stopped by now." The quiet comment came from Langstead. Glancing at the scientist quickly before looking back to his youngest son, Jeff realized that they were going on a lot longer than they had with the others. Two, three hits at most, and the kids had been led off, back to their normal lives. Alan took his fifth hit and still they didn't stop.

"Why won't he fight?" Langstead wondered aloud. "They know he's been changed, if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to withstand those blows without moving. So why doesn't he just fight?"

Scott stared, almost in tears as Alan was backhanded viciously. _Just fight Alan. They'll stop if you fight. Please. _

His brothers and father were no less affected by watching Alan get beaten so brutally. Each was silently urging him to fight back, to do _something _other than just stand there and take it.

"Oh god…" Virgil's pained cry attracted the attention of the others, each turned to what had caught his eye.

In the circle, the man had paused and was looking at the men still standing in a line behind Alan. One of them turned to the one next to him and nodded, a silent signal to try a new tactic.

In horror, the six men imprisoned in their clear cells watched as the man that had be nodded to reached into his combat boots and withdrew a sharp, wicked looking dagger. Hefting it a little, as if testing its weight, he gripped the handle and in a smooth motion hurled it at Alan's unsuspecting back.

As the cold sunlight glinted off the sharp silver of the blade, Jeff closed his eyes against the sight he was sure would kill him if he saw it.

"Holy…" The word Gordon breathed was barely audible, nearly drowned out by the pained cry that erupted from the training ground below.

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A/N: mwahahaha, sorry, school tomorrow and if I didn't end it there I would have had to wait till tomorrow to put it up. :D Don't hurt me :D REVIEW PLEASE, it makes me happy lol. And happy authors write faster…hint hint

**/pokes you/ click the button! **


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: HOLY SMOLIES. The reviews were AMAZING. My parents officially think I'm insane after I saw an inbox full of reviews and started literally jumping for joy. Some really great questions in there too. This is in the Movie Verse by the way, since I'm a little young to have ever seen the show…hehe…as to some of the other things, there's a very good reason why I have all of the Tracy's stuck in that place, can't have any of them coming to the rescue now can I? Some of you even predicted what had happened at the end of last chapter, which admittedly made me a little paranoid…STAY OUT OF MY HEAD lol /looks around nervously/

Oh…and as to some of the questions about whether this is reversible or if Alan is still the same after all of this…well you just get to wait and see…/evil laughter/

And this story is kind of a work in progress; I have all of the main events written out in my mind, so when I type them it's basically just adding to the skeleton.

THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS! YOU MADE MY DAY!

Enjoy the next chapter!

Nevair

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Unlike their father, Scott, John, Virgil, and Gordon couldn't close their eyes. In fact, it seemed that they were incapable of any muscle movement, such as breathing, or blinking. It was because of this that none of them missed the split second moment where Alan spun, arm outstretched, and grabbed the sharp knife by its handle, bringing his arm up and back and releasing the dagger in a smooth movement. The blade whisked back through the air, burying itself in the thigh of its owner, who let out a cry as the metal bit into the thick muscle of his leg.

"Holy…" Gordon breathed. That was _some _reaction time. His brothers simply gaped, open mouthed with shock and relief. Virgil turned to his father, who had his eyes shut tight and was making choked sobbing sounds.

"Dad…DAD, it's ok. Look. Alan's fine." Though he wasn't quite sure about the _fine _part, he just wasn't dead. Not waiting to see if his dad did as he asked, Virgil quickly turned back to the training ground and watched as a pissed off looking Alan was led back to his pole and bound to it again.

Jeff could hardly believe his son's words, he dared to open his eyes and what he saw shocked him. Alan was being chained to a pole, perfectly unharmed, and the man that had thrown the dagger was being led away, bleeding profusely from his right thigh.

"That boy has one hell of a level of control." Langstead was looking wide-eyed at the blond haired youth that was now sitting sullenly against the hard metal of his pole.

"What do you mean?" John asked, his voice as shaky as he felt after seeing his little brother nearly killed, and then to also see said little brother calmly injure another man and hardly bat an eye about it.

"I designed the Chimera serum, and I know what it does to those kids. For him to be able to not only refrain from defending himself when he was being beaten, but to stop himself from killing that guy? It's in his instincts now, and they would have been hard to ignore. The other children simply would have done it out of reflex, his control is…amazing." The scientist was shaking his head, continuing to stare at the youth below him with a look of shock and awe on his pale face.

The Tracy's looked at each other, worry plainly written across each of their faces. So they knew Alan had been changed, but would he really have killed that guy? Jeff knew it wasn't in his son's nature to kill; that much had been made extremely obvious when he had saved the Hood back in the bank of London. And Alan _hadn't _killed the guy with the knife, just injured him; an alternative much preferred by his family than his premature death. That had to mean that the changes to his body and mind hadn't affected him that much, that he was still their old Alan, right?

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Sighing, Alan leaned back against the hard metal behind him, absently trying to work free of his cuffs as he watched his remaining classmates tested. _Damn. _He could feel the changes within him, with the way his body moved and his mind worked. It had taken every last ounce of his control not to snap the man's neck after that first hit, but he knew it would be sealing his fate. It hadn't taken long to realize that the ones that didn't fight were led out of the compound. To where he didn't know, but at least they left.

The others, the ones he knew were like him with the sudden need to fight, were chained up again. And for some unexplainable reason, being chained like some animal pissed him off to no end, and made him more than a little nervous. He didn't understand what had happened to him either, though the logical conclusion his hyped-up mind came up with was that there was something in the drug that had altered him physically and mentally. He had to fight urges he had never had before, like the urge to fling that knife straight into that backstabber's neck, not to mention the fact that he had been able to grab it in mid-air. And he noticed that everything was clearer, sharper looking to his eyes. He could hear the faintest whisper on the wind clearly, and smelt things he hadn't known even existed. It was more than a little disturbing.

More pressing than any of that though was the fear that kept running through his mind. Fear for his family. The last he had seen of them, they had all had guns pointed at their heads. Logically (and he wondered slightly when he ever thought so logically, but it seemed his brain thought on auto-pilot now) he knew that the best answer was that they were dead, that these men had taken them and killed his family to avoid any witnesses. It was what he would have done, though the thought that he would even think something like that made him sick. And he had no evidence to prove that that wasn't exactly what had happened.

Trying to distract himself from that morbid thought, he watched as his friend, Bret, was led up to the fighting circle. He knew even before they started that Bret was different as well; he could smell it on him, see it in the perfectly balanced way he stood and walked, and he just simply _knew, _as certainly as he knew something had changed in him.

After a brief scuffle, which Bret most definitely won, his friend was led back amongst the other Chimeras. No one else was left to test, and Alan watched with a strange sense of calm as the man he recognized as the bus driver spoke a few quick words to another of the black-clad men who quickly left and entered a large building to Alan's right.

Mikal said nothing to his new soldiers as he looked them over. _Not bad, _he thought. There were around 12 of them still there, all watching him with the cold, appraising look he had come to recognize on his Chimeras. They were thinking like soldiers now, and subconsciously evaluating the potential threat, just as they were taught. _Time to see what they can do against the trained ones. Let the games begin. _

The new Chimeras turned as one when they heard the soft crunch of gravel beneath the feet of the man that had left. Behind him, making far less noise to the ears of the new recruits was a line of about twenty girls and boys. Immediately the Chimeras recognized their own kind, the differences in the way they acted and moved as compared to the 'normal' humans in this place.

"Sergeant, line them up." Mikal spoke to the man that had led the others out. Turning to the assembled soldiers, the sergeant blew a whistle, cold and sharp, and instantly the boys and girls were lined up in military position, facing the officers.

Alan observed the faces of his fellow…whatever the hell they were. They looked… tight, like springs coiled too tightly, ready to shatter at any moment from the tension. It broke his heart. The way he was feeling right now, he knew he wouldn't be able to control his emotions like they did, carefully schooling their faces to a blank state while their eyes shouted their defiance for the whole world to see.

More than any of the changes he noticed, he _felt _more. Every emotion he had seemed to hit him harder, with more passion than before. Alan knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his temper with those men, that if they did anything to push him the wrong way again he wouldn't be able to control himself. The only thing holding him back now was the thought that his family could be dead, that he might never see his brothers and dad again. It made him empty, soulless, and he couldn't care less what they did to him at the moment. He would deal with them later, but for know, he would evaluate the threats, determine the best way to escape, and try not to let his grief swallow him whole.

"Attention!" the sergeant bellowed. Alan and the others winced, their heightened hearing making that shout nearly unbearable.

Silently, the other officers approached the Chimeras that were chained, releasing them from their bonds and leading them to stand in the line with the others. Moving through the line, they were split into pairs and ushered to a spot on the grounds so that they would have some space between the other pairs. Alan found himself with a girl. Immediately his mind began to catalogue any information about her he could, her height, weight, possible strengths and weaknesses. As their eyes met, blue locking with grey, Alan stopped his mental analysis of the girl and just looked at her, seeing anger and hate in those silvery depths.

"Fighting positions!" Mikal snapped out the order, smiling when his soldiers followed it immediately. "You will test each other, find each others strengths and weaknesses. Do not stop until we order it. Begin!" Mikal and the other officers began to move among the fighting duos, seeing which of the Chimeras were better fighters, which ones fell behind, evaluating them as the fought.

Alan looked the girl over slowly, waiting for her to make the first move as she did the same to him. He had to admit, fighting sounded like a good idea right now; a way for him to let out some of the sadness and frustration he felt at the moment. And well, fighting just seemed like a good idea anyways.

A slow smile crept across both of their faces as the recognized that the other wasn't interested in a serious fight; both were just looking for some fun, like two cats playfully wrestling. Without further hesitation, they began.

Alan lost himself in the twists and blocks, the strikes and kicks. His body felt _right _when he fought, this was what it was meant to do. He felt his muscles contract and expand, his lungs automatically falling into a steady rhythm that would allow him to exert himself for as long as he wished without getting breathless. It was like a dance, she struck, and he blocked and retaliated. She blocked, and retaliated. Over and over, both getting lost in the movements, it was the best feeling he could ever remember having.

Unsurprisingly, their fight lasted longer than the other pairs' did. Once one member was down, Mikal and his men had ordered them to stop fighting. Eventually the only ones remaining were Alan and the girl. As the others looked on, slowly gathering around the two, Alan and his partner remained oblivious, completely absorbed in their motions.

Mikal observed them coolly, smiling when he recognized the two that fought so well with each other. Kira was his best fighter, a natural leader he had planned to make her one of his lieutenants. It seemed she had just met her match. The boy fought as well as she did, his form perfect despite his lack of official training in the Chimera army. Recognizing him from before as being the one that had refused to fight, Mikal knew he had found his second leader. The two would work well together, and he had no doubt that the others would follow them eventually.

Smirking evilly as a new idea came to him, Mikal motioned for two of his fellow officers to come to him. It was easy to tell from the way that the two teens fought that they weren't serious about it, if they had been one of them would have been dead already. _Can't let them think this is all fun and games, they'll never learn that way._

"Enough." Mikal ordered. Both of them stopped, Alan brushing his blond bangs out of his eyes as he turned to look at Mikal. Kira calmly turned as well, long black tresses swinging with the motion.

"Time for the second part of your training. Lets see what you can do with these." Mikal gestured to the two men he had called forward, both reached into their boots and removed heavy silver daggers. Kira and Alan caught them as they were tossed to them, eyes cold and unblinking as they looked to their _officers _for an explanation.

"Third blood wins, hesitate too long and I will make it to the death. Begin." Mikal gave a genial little smile as they turned to each other once again, all traces of the excitement of earlier hidden now. Circling slowly, Alan gripped his dagger comfortably in his hand. The weight of it felt good. Heeding Mikal's words, Kira struck in a flash, prompting Alan to block it. Shifting slightly, Alan pushed off from his left leg and tackled Kira to the ground. Rolling quickly the two separated and came to their feet, silently acknowledging that some blood had to be spilt, and they should do it sooner rather than later.

Striking out again, Kira grasped Alan by his arm as she kicked him in his side and scored a shallow cut across his collarbone. A thin line of red appeared as it darkened the small tear in his navy shirt. Instinctively Alan twisted his arm, breaking her grip as he threw her off balance and over his hip, slashing a quick cut across her upper arm as he did.

_One for one. _

The fight reached new levels as Kira struck out and Alan dodged. Neither stopped moving, constantly blocking and striking, searching for an opening. Not long after both had reached their Second Blood, Alan with blood dripping from a long gash on his upper right arm, and Kira with a short nick across her cheekbone.

They eyed each other carefully, coming to an agreement with their eyes, both leapt forward at the same time, reaching Third Blood at the same time as they cut each other's forearms.

"Impressive." Mikal drawled, knowing they had tied so that he wouldn't punish the loser. _Oh yes, they'll work well together. And tomorrow we shall see how the young man does as a leader. _

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Gordon looked down at his only younger brother, watching with some admiration as he saw Alan fight. He was grace in motion, every move perfectly executed and flowing smoothly into the next. The girl was just as impressive to watch and together they looked amazing.

"She's good, isn't she?" Dr. Langstead asked his companions with a small smile, watching the two fight.

"Who is she?" Jeff asked; his sons were too absorbed in trying to make sure Alan was all right, even though there was really nothing they could do if he wasn't.

"My daughter…" Langstead whispered. He turned to the Tracy's, noticing the same blond hair on John as on the boy below and began to have an idea as to why they were so worried for the boy. "Her name is Kira." Deciding to go with his hunch he asked, "Is the boy your son?"

"Yes." Jeff choked out, watching as his son and the girl…Kira, were handed knives. "He's my youngest. We haven't been properly introduced it seems. I'm Jeff; these are my sons, Scott, John, Virgil, and Gordon. Alan is the one out there."

The four brothers glanced up as their names were called, feeling able to relax a little now that Alan and the girl had stopped fighting with the knives and neither of them seemed badly hurt.

The group fell into silence, watching as their respective family members were lined up and marched off to the building standing to the left of theirs. As they disappeared from view, the day seemed to catch up to the Tracy's as they could no longer see Alan and were forced to think of other things.

"Dad." The voice sounded lost and scared, and Jeff turned to see Gordon with tears running down his cheeks. "We have to get him out of here, we'll get him out, right?"

His voice broke his brother's hearts. Scott wanted so desperately to comfort his younger brothers, but couldn't physically reach them from within his cell. They were truly alone.

Despite Gordon having been the one to ask him, Jeff saw the same question in the eyes of each of his sons as they turned to him, Virgil with tear tracks on his face and Scott and John with eyes filled with tears they wouldn't let fall. He knew exactly how they felt, and he didn't have a clue how they were going to get Alan when they couldn't even get out themselves.

"We'll get him out, I promise." Jeff said finally, hoping that saying it would make it true.

"Yeah bro, we got people back home still, they'll be looking for us." John tried to reassure Gordon. _Of course they won't know anything's wrong until two days from now, when we're supposed to be home. _John kept that depressing thought to himself, but he knew everyone else was thinking it as well. That's what came from belonging to IR; you just couldn't help wishing for the best but realistically knowing the worst as well.

Night fell, the windows providing an awesome view of a star-spangled sky. The Tracy's and Dr. Langstead were served a cold dinner at gunpoint, each choking down the food by habit, knowing that the worst possible thing would be to have an opportunity to escape and be too weak from hunger to take it.

They were left alone again, no one speaking for fear of shattering the silence that seemed to surround them like a fog. Sitting back against the walls of their cells, they lost themselves to their thoughts.

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Alan was woken rudely by the sound of footsteps stomping on the ground of the room. Lifting his head from where it lay on someone's arm, he looked around him at the other now-awake Chimeras that were with him. After a military dinner, they had been shown to a room. It was large, square, and empty. Following the leads of the ones that had been here longer, they realized that they were to sleep like cats, piled up on each other or off on your own in a corner, taking comfort from the closeness of the others.

After momentary hesitation, Alan decided it felt right somehow to sleep like that. Again, he figured it must have been something else that had been changed from the drug. _The way I think, act, see, hear, and now my sleeping habits? Is there anything about me it didn't change?_

Standing slowly with the others that were now awake, Alan looked at the man that had interrupted their rest. He was just another faceless officer, average height and build, nothing extraordinary. He searched the faces of those in the room, stopping when his eyes rested on Alan.

_Figures, It's always me isn't it? _Alan's eyes narrowed as the man moved towards him. He had to hand it to the guy, he didn't seem particularly nervous to be standing on his own in the middle of a room with only one exit, surrounded by genetically enhanced killing machines that wouldn't hesitate to attack if he made the slightest wrong move. He was either really cocky, or way too scared of his boss to refuse following an order to come in here. Alan guessed the latter.

"You. Come with me. The Commander wishes to see you." He spoke steadily as he addressed Alan, but his eyes gave him away, flickering nervously from one teen to the other as they created a loose circle around him.

Noticing the attack formation of his fellow Chimeras, Alan looked to them and gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. Bret raised his eyebrow at his friend, questioning him silently. Though they had been together for barely a day, the Chimeras already had something of a structure to them. Alan and Kira were followed and respected as well as a few of the other better fighters, those they were closest to were the only ones that would really question them. Each and every one of them looked out for each other, acting like a pack in their protectiveness.

Stepping closer to the nervous man in a very predatory walk, Alan motioned for the others to back off a little. He would follow the man, if only to see more of the compound in case there was any chance for an escape.

_An escape to what? Your family's dead. _Pushing the annoying voice to the back of his mind, Alan nodded and followed the officer out of the building. As the door opened and let in some light from the outside lamps, Alan blinked when saw several of the Chimeras near the door. Their eyes shone, like a cat's does in the dark, before they moved away from the door, the glow fading from their eyes when the light no longer hit them.

Across the training ground and into the building on the far side, Alan followed the man. Taking stock of his surroundings he memorized them, noting any little thing that could aid in an escape attempt. Again the thought of what the point in escaping was if his family was dead came to his mind, only to be pushed roughly aside.

The night was cool, practically freezing if you were used to a tropical island, but the temperature didn't faze him much. Noticing the darkness in most of the compound's windows Alan checked his internal clock and thought that it was sometime around 2 in the morning.

He was led into the building and up a flight of stairs. A long corridor stretched before them, doors leading off into various rooms and other hallways on either side. With a sharp left, Alan was led into a small office room, the Commander, Mikal, was sitting comfortably at a large wooden desk. He rose as they entered.

"Ah, just the man I wanted to see. Thank you sergeant, leave us." Mikal commanded, barely sparing a glance at his officer, as he looked Alan up and down. Alan regarded the man coldly, doing an immediate threat assessment. The man was fit, and taller than Alan was, but his stance showed he stood off balance, leaning more to his right side. Cataloging that little detail for later, Alan listened as Mikal began to speak.

"You've shown promise, soldier. We could use someone like you as a leader; certainly your skills alone qualify you for that position. However I rarely base decisions on outward appearances. I want to see how you do leading a small group of soldiers, just on a simple task really. Think of it as a test run, if you do well the position as one of my lieutenants is yours." Mikal finished with a smile. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the front of his desk, watching the blond youth in front of him for a reaction.

"And I'm to just do this for you like a nice little boy, am I?" Alan asked with a cruel tone of voice. He sneered at the man before him, disgust plainly written on his handsome features. "What makes you think I'll just take your orders? You're no match for me."

Mikal smirked a little. _So my guests will be useful after all. For all his talk I doubt he would put those men in harms way just to be stubborn. Time to go meet the adults._

"I thought you might say something like that. Follow me." Turning, Mikal strode purposely out of his office and down the long hallway. Reaching a set of doors with two men standing out front, he motioned for them to open it.

The four men entered the room, which was dimly lit by small yellow lights spaced along the wall. The wall across from the door was completely made of glass and overlooked the dark training yard below. Mikal continued into the room and over to a panel in the wall to the right. Hitting in some buttons, Alan blinked as the overhead lights turned on and the six figures in front of the window were illuminated. They turned and looked at him in shock.

Alan didn't know how to describe what he was feeling. The emptiness inside of him at the thought of them being dead was filled with joy and relief that threatened to turn into tears. He looked them over with an expert eye, noticing that other than looking tired and shocked at seeing him there, his family looked all right.

"Alan." It was almost comical the way they said it as one, coming out like surround sound. Jeff and his boys stood quickly, looking from Mikal standing there watching Alan's reaction to the two guards that stood just behind Alan, and to Alan, looking at them with relief evident on his face. Dr. Langstead watched quietly from his seat on the floor.

The relief quickly changed to anger at the sight of the energy walls that separated his brothers and father from each other and him. The anger quickly grew to hate as he realized the implications of Mikal showing him his family.

"Now, you were saying something about not wanting to follow orders? I'm afraid I'll have to take my anger out on one of these fine men here then. I can't very well injure my own soldiers; wouldn't help me in the slightest. What do you say, will you do the job?" Mikal grinned evilly at Alan, knowing he had him cornered.

Tearing his eyes from his brothers and dad, Alan fought back the urge to kill the man where he stood. The only thing stopping him was the sight of the two guards moving closer to his family, guns in hand and aimed at Scott and his dad.

His whole body was nearly on fire from the rage he felt pulsing through him. Alan stalked over to Mikal, his every step radiating 'DANGER' to those present in the room. Standing face to face with the evil man, he growled.

"I'll do it."

"Excellent, you'll leave with your team in just under an hour. Oh, and we'll be keeping an eye on you from here as well. I think our guests will enjoy the show, and if anything goes wrong I won't hesitate to put a bullet in their heads." Mikal's light tone of voice gave no illusions as to his seriousness.

Alan glanced at his family again, before looking back at his Commander. Mikal looked down into the coldest eyes he could ever hope to see and involuntarily took a step back. Alan smirked and walked towards the door to the hallway followed by the two guards. Quickly regaining his composure, Mikal exited after them, tossing a last comment over his shoulder to his 'guests' as he left.

"We'll be back soon, don't go anywhere."

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As Alan walked through hallways back to Mikal's office he remembered just a year ago when his whole family had been trapped on Thunderbird Five. Danger wasn't uncommon for them; they were IR after all, but to have all of his brothers and his father in danger all at once? He had promised himself a year ago that he wouldn't let that happen again, that he would do everything he could to protect his family.

His eyes landed on Mikal and flashed with anger as the man entered the office.

_You just made the biggest mistake of your life._

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A/N: whew, that was a long chapter! Anyways, things should start getting pretty exciting next chapter, I've got some very interesting ideas for the big 'battle'. Anyways…REVIEW, IT REALLY DOES MAKE ME WRITE FASTER! Oh, and any little ideas you have that you may want me to add in, I'd be happy to hear!

/pokes/ you know the drill!

/points down at review button/ it's calling you! C'mon…clicky button!


	4. Chapter 4

**:nervously peeks around a corner:** Hey guys…REALLY sorry about the long wait, a combination of family problems, school projects, exams, and computer problems (as in my computer died **:sniff sniff: **and therefore I didn't have one) made this a way overdue update…but enough of my excuses…

I'm just gonna go start working on the next chapter so you don't have to wait for it…**:backs away slowly: **ENJOY!

OH…and reviewers, YOU ARE AMAZING **:Hugs:**

Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?

Nevair

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Alan Tracy was angry. Now, if you asked any one of his brothers they would say this was a common occurrence, as he was often found (or heard as the case may be) arguing rather exuberantly with his father many a time. However, this was a little different. Alan was pissed; with good reason too. In the last day he had been kidnapped along with his athletics class, injected with a serum that did god-knows-what to him, his family was currently trapped in the same place that had given him the serum and were at this very moment being held at gunpoint to ensure his cooperation on a mission for the same bastards that had done this to him. All in all, it had been a _very _trying day, and still seemed to be going downhill. The mission was simple; that was fine with him. Get in, grab the target, get out, and everything would be fine and dandy. Or at least he would be able to get some sleep, right now even that could make this day-from-hell slightly better.

But no, he had to lead a group of five other whatever-the-hell-he-was to get this job done, and one of them was just asking for a beating. Who knew a single person could make so much noise!

"Hey! You sure this is the right way?" He wasn't even _whispering _for god's sake! Alan clenched his fists and wheeled around to face the idiot that could possibly be responsible for his family's death if he screwed up this job for him. The boy stopped in his tracks as he faced his angry leader. Though, obviously, he was too stupid to realize just how angry said leader may be. Antagonizing Alan at this point was practically suicide.

"I said, 'are you sure this is the right way?' I can't see any sign of the guy we're supposed to be after. Way to go, 'leader', got us lost already." Oh, that boy was dead. The other four that were on Alan's team stopped to face their leader and the idiot who just didn't know when to shut up. In his head, Alan was counting to ten trying to get his hyped up new instincts to calm down while still refusing to answer the boy.

"What's the matter, you too stupid to even talk? How the hell were you supposed to lead us?" Sneering with disdain, he never even saw the hit coming.

WHAM

A body impacted his and he was suddenly staring into frigid blue eyes that were less than an inch from his face, a strong arm gripping the cloth of his shirt tightly while it pressed against his throat, restricting all air.

" If you so much as _breathe_ too loudly after I release you, I swear you will never breathe again." Alan hissed into the terrified face before him. His instincts were out of control; he wanted to rip into something, anything, to let out some of the anger that had been suffocating him since he had seen his imprisoned family. Having to do this job was bad enough, taking _orders_ from a psychopath was bad enough, and he did not have to deal with this fool on top of all of that.

"You are going to stay here, and not even so much as blink, and the rest of us will go on ahead to the target. You will keep an eye out and guard our backs, though I doubt you can even do that. Lidia will stay with you, on orders to kill you if you move from this spot, understood?" At the barely perceptible nod that might very well just have been from the shaking of his body, Alan continued in his whispered commands, low enough that the others couldn't even hear them for all of their heightened hearing. " When we come back, I will give you orders, and you will follow them just as you will follow these, with no complaints or questions. Understood? Perfect." Releasing his captive, Alan turned around to the rest of his team and signaled that they should move on, with Lidia staying behind to watch over the idiot.

The house was silent, but all four of the Chimeras could sense that there were others beside themselves there. The job was simple, enter the house undetected, incapacitate all occupants, and leave with the key in one of the occupant's possession, also undetected. No casualties, no sign that they had been there at all except for the obvious missing key and the knocked out people.

Hearing movement in the room on the other side of a tall wooden door, Alan used hand-signals to tell his team to halt. Listening, he could hear about four heartbeats, and the occasional footsteps of one of them pacing. He sounded heavy, big; most definitely larger than any of the teens, but it wouldn't be a problem. Of that he was sure. A few more hand movements later and two of the Chimeras were hidden so well in the shadows on either side of the door you wouldn't be able to see them if you didn't know they were there. Alan and the last remaining Chimera, his friend Bret from Wharton Academy, prepared to enter the room. Bret pivoted on his foot, facing the door at an angle as he lifted his leg and kicked out sharply.

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The splintering door was the only warning the men had as two people immediately attacked them. The first two closest to the door fell before they even registered what was happening. There were three men left, and the all reacted instantly, reaching for their guns holstered at their belts or, in one man's case, already sitting in their hand. As the other two Chimeras entered, the two sides faced each other; one totally shocked at the young age of their attackers and the other waiting for the others to react first, to make the fight slightly more fair of course.

Alan grinned; he could take out his frustrations here easily enough. In the back of his mind he realized he was acting nothing like he should be in this sort of situation, that he shouldn't be happy about fighting or terrifying people (though that kid had been asking for it, really) but that voice seemed to have gotten quieter and quieter as the day wore on. Now only a whisper in his mind and barely worth his attention anymore; there were better things to think about now.

Bullets ricocheted off the floors and walls as the Chimeras dodged and struck, moving far too fast for them to be hit. Alan was still smiling as he kicked and punched, parried and twisted around the other man. He kept his hits strictly away from the others head to avoid knocking him unconscious for as long as possible. Only when the others had defeated the last two men and already found and retrieved the key they were after did he duck under a blow aimed at his head, coming in under the other's guard and way too close for him to dodge as he struck a blow straight to his temple, checking his strength so as not to kill the man.

"Well done, let's get out of here. Mission complete." Alan nodded in satisfaction at their success as he led his Chimeras out of the room, stepping carefully around the fallen bodies, through the silent house, and out into the dark, cold night where they disappeared like so much shadow and mist.

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Mikal smirked at his guests where they sat, glaring at him, on the hard wood floor of his complex. He turned back to the split screens on the wall opposite the prisoners that showed the feed from the cameras in the house they had set up for this little test. His soldiers had done well, though that one would have to be looked at closely; soldiers who couldn't follow orders were dead soldiers.

But oh, had his new lieutenant done well. He would do well, and had proved that others were willing to follow him with this successful mission.

"I have to thank you for your help in ensuring his cooperation." Mikal turned off the camera feed and looked back at the six men silhouetted by the window. "He will make an excellent soldier, one of my best, I'm sure. My perfect soldier, and he will answer to no one but me." He finished possessively. A mocking wave to the growling men and he walked out the door with a satisfied smile on his face, thinking of all 'his soldier' would do for him, how useful he would be in training the others and creating the perfect army.

Ah, yes. Things were going perfectly, nothing could possibly stop this program now, not with how much success they were sure to have when they finally started using the Chimeras in the real world. They wouldn't know what hit them.

And oh, how the mighty would fall.

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:D NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP IN A FEW DAYS! I'm typing it as you read this, sorry it's short but I wanted _something _posted as soon as possible. Your reviews keep me going, and I read and take into account every single one of them. You know what that means…

:poke attack: Review! See that button? It wants you to press it, really it does, told me so itself…. yes, I speak button, got a problem with that?

LOVE YOU ALL,

Nevair


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: NOT MINE NOT MINE NOT MINE**

A/N: Oh thank GOD IT'S DONE! This is around the 32nd draft of this chapter :dies, and I've just decided to post it cause if I didn't I would keep re-writing it forever. :grins:

Thanks to all reviewers! I know we can't write out individual responses any more so for any future reviews I'll be responding to them individually (you know where it gets sent to your e-mail inbox) if you're signed in.

Some fluffiness in the beginning, then the whole chapter goes to hell in a hand basket :headdesk:

Without further ado, here is chapter 5 and you better like it :glares: that's right, love me, all of you. O.o

Nevair

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Stretching languidly, Alan uncurled himself from where he was plastered to Bret's side and lifted his head from where it lay on his friend's muscled chest. The lack of the warm body made Bret slowly blink his eyes open and focus on the mop of blond hair that had dared to move away from him. Still mostly asleep, Bret gave Alan a half-hearted glare and rolled over to him, wrapping his arms around the boy's torso and closing his eyes again, content as a kitten.

"Bret." The whisper served to shatter his lazy doze and Bret cuddled even closer, burying his face in Alan's neck and soft hair, groaning in irritation at Alan's wakefulness.

"Mm. Sleepy. Warm. Shut up."

Alan blinked. _Did he just…oh well, it's too early to be up anyways. _Curling up as well as he could with Bret using him as his own personal teddy bear, Alan sighed softly, nearly purring, as he relaxed into sleep. God knows he needed it after that mission and the day-from-hell he had gone through earlier on. Besides, the warm bodies surrounding him and the soft shuffles and breaths he could hear were making him far too relaxed to think. He would start to plan in the morning…well, later on in the morning. Preferably when it was actually light out. For now, he was going to shut up and sleep.

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It was almost too easy to map out the complex the Chimeras were kept in, and even easier to mark off the guard shifts and positions. For a military institution designed to keep in genetically enhanced super-soldiers, the security was nearly insulting. Not that Alan was going to complain, it just made his life easier.

In a little over two days from the day they had arrived and Alan had been forced to complete that 'test' mission, Alan had pulled together a workable plan to break out. Unsurprisingly Kira was his second-in-command for the mission, and it had been no trouble at all to get the rest of the Chimeras to join them. None of them liked being kept like pets in this place, this cage.

Really, Mikal was either way too confident in his soldiers' loyalty, or he really was that stupid. Either way, it practically seemed like he was trying to make it easier for them. The Chimeras trained from dawn until midnight, beginning with a couple- if you can call twenty a couple- of laps around the entire complex. Instant map. It was pure simplicity to memorize the buildings positions and their layouts were guessed from the placement of windows, doors, and fire escapes, along with the help of all that handy information they had so nicely been supplied with if they ever needed to do any infiltration missions. Another bonus to those daily runs was the perfect opportunity to check any soldiers' positions and their movements as they patrolled the complex. What they thought they could do against a Chimera, Alan really didn't know.

Now the only other thing they needed was weapons and an opportunity. Though the weapons weren't really necessary they would simplify things and make taking out targets from a distance possible. That problem solved itself when, later that day the Chimeras were introduced to their weapons training program which would run from 1100 to 1800 every day. Alan actually began to wonder if they **wanted **them to try something; smart people just **don't **give killing machines seven hours free reign with access to any weapon available.

_Oh, how the mighty will fall. _

Alan's grin was feral as he looked around the training grounds at the armed Chimeras. They would let the guards relax for a few hours while they trained as usual; they were always most alert at the very start and very end of training. In a few hours they would move, and those idiots wouldn't know what hit them.

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Mikal was pleased, as shown by the cruel smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. His Alan was doing splendidly. It had been three days since that bus had shown up and he had found his second lieutenant. The blond-haired boy was better than he could have imagined in his wildest dream, and he was living proof that the upgrade to the serum had worked well. They had only added a few extra strings of DNA, chosen from the best of the large feline hunters, in the hopes that the soldiers' physical aspects would have greater changes. You can give someone all the knowledge they need to kill someone with a single blow, but the fact was they had to have the physical strength to hit the target hard enough to do it. It was true, they hadn't gotten as many to accept the Chimera-X code, but it was only the first attempt with this stream; modifications to make it more compatible could be attempted later.

The differences were just starting to appear in the twelve teens they had tested on and the results were looking promising. Just today the X's had completely outran the Chimeras that had been here for some time, totally disregarding their lack of training. It was promising indeed. The weapons training was about to begin and Mikal prepared to observe the changes that could have occurred in their fighting abilities. If this new stream had the desired results, they would continue to create 'X's' and use the original Chimeras in their training. Why keep an older model when the new ones were so much more advanced? Of course, these X's would be his Elite, the first of their generation, with his Alan as their leader. Perhaps Kira would be strong enough to join them as well; she far surpassed the other Chimeras even without the upgraded serum. He would have to wait and see how she faired against his Elite now that they were showing more of their abilities.

Making his way out of his office to the training grounds, Mikal searched out his soon-to-be lieutenant. A pleased smile spread lazily across his face at the sight of his perfect soldier sparring against a caramel-haired boy, one he remembered as being from the group Alan had arrived with, meaning that he would also hold the Chimera-X serum. They were magnificent, moving like liquid through the blocks and spins, striking like lightning at every chance. Alan seemed to match the taller boy easily, neither of them gaining or losing ground at the moment.

_Beautiful._

There was no other way to describe it. They were his masterpieces and their full splendor still had yet to be revealed. Soon though. It wouldn't take much longer for the code to fully activate and integrate itself in them. Then they would see what true perfection was. Settling back against the hard stones of the wall behind him, Mikal continued to watch, growing more and more excited as he saw what they were capable of. Plans for the future began to form and dance across the twisted pathways of his mind; Plans of bringing entire governments crashing down with just his Elite. He would be the most powerful man in this world, with his army of super-soldiers, his Chimeras. Grinning when he saw one of his Elites score a strike against an original Chimera, he watched the crimson spread and drip to the sandy ground of the training yard. His Elite was staring horrified, but Mikal only had eyes for the wonderful ruby slowly spreading across his yard, like his power would spread across the world when his army was ready. The grin turned sinister, eyes darkening with a possessive light as he continued to watch from his place in the shadows of the building. No one would control the Chimeras but him. His creation, his soldiers, his children, his Elites. And they would serve him well.

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Alan watched as the guards dragged out the now lifeless body of the Chimera, while his classmate, Jenny he vaguely recalled her name to be, stood shaking in front of the pool of blood. He knew it wasn't the girl's fault, they all fought without pulling any punches, and until now nothing fatal had ever landed before, they were all trained enough so that it **shouldn't **have landed at all. He looked over to Bret, whom he had been sparring with when they had heard the other Chimera's cry and stopped to look. His taller friend stared back, hazel eyes reflecting the sunlight as it struck them at an angle.

_Hunter's eyes. _

Blue eyes feral, Alan met the gazes of his fellow classmates, cellmates, soldiers, whatever they were now. All had the same look as they stood gazing back at him, their leader for the moment. When this was over, they would go their separate ways and possibly never see each other again. At the moment, however, they were all together in the same cage; they all had the same enemies. You cannot trap a predator and hope to never be bitten, and their captors were about to learn just how sharp their pet's teeth were.

Alan's stare looked to the movement at the base of one of the cold, grey buildings of this hell and he bared his teeth in a silent growl at the sight. Mikal was staring, smiling, at the dead body being dragged across the ground. They'd wasted enough time, he wanted that man **dead. **More specifically he wanted his blood to spatter over his hands, to spill because of him.

_And the hunter stalks his prey._

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A quick nod was all it took for the Chimeras to spur into action. Seven guards, all of those on the training field, were down and either dead or dying before those watching from the walls or building tops were even aware of movement. It seemed the death of one of their own had created a savage, primal need to cause as much pain as possible, for all the guards were killed anything but quickly. They had all gotten a rundown of what to do the night before, in the privacy of their one room sleeping quarters. Hand signals were such a wonderful invention; the guards outside their quarters hadn't heard a thing.

Of the fifty Chimeras spread across the training area, the twenty armed with knives promptly split from the rest of the group and surrounded them in a loose circle, taking aim and releasing their weapons to strike the guards slowly reacting to the danger from atop the buildings. Only four got a shot off, and only two actually struck a Chimera, the others having already been falling from the roof when their fingers squeezed the trigger. A teenage girl and a slightly older looking boy went to help support those that had been hit. The wounds weren't bad, one of the girls was shot in the shoulder while the other had taken a graze across her thigh, painful but easily wrapped up with torn shreds from their shirts. Those that had taken out the men on the roofs spread out to take care of and clear any more that were on the walls surrounding the complex. They would make sure that the way was clear of all threats and head out, back to wherever they came from. Though they all looked to be children, they had the knowledge to survive on their own in any country they happened to be stranded in, it wouldn't be difficult to make their ways home or at least away from this prison. Alan sent groups of five to each of the buildings, they could do whatever they wished to whoever they found inside, though he kept himself, Kira, Bret, and two of his friends from school, Sarah and Amanda, to take care of the main building. The rest split into pairs and went to check the surrounding areas, making sure that there were no guards lurking in the shadows between the buildings or sneaking out the backs before those clearing out the rest of the complex got to them. All of them would leave when they were finished, as the way would be cleared from the Chimeras who should have by now finished clearing out any perimeter guards.

"Alan." Kira called his attention to her and he read her question with just a look.

"We're ready. It's time to kill these bastards." Sarah and Amanda looked at each other quickly before turning back to him with identical bloodthirsty grins.

"After you, Alan." One last glance at Kira cracking her knuckles in anticipation, Bret whose eyes were shining with the thrill of an upcoming fight, Sarah and Amanda nearly bouncing with dark excitement, and Alan turned towards the building he knew held his family. His family and the bastard that had taken them.

If he had fangs, he would have bared them with the smile that passed across his features, all flashing teeth and painful promise. He glanced at his hands, noting the fingernails oddly sharper and harder than should have been normal, before curling them slowly into fists.

"Then the hunt is on."

_And he'll smile before he strikes._

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Hey, ok here's a question for all ofyou reading this: PAIRINGS

I know pairings are fairly touchy and can either makeor break a story so I want toknow what you think.

Should there be pairings? Which ones? Slash? Het?Hell, tell me absolutely anything you want, no matter how crazy,'cause I'll still read it and take it into consideration.

Keep in mind, any pairings (if there even is one) will not comeinto effect right away, romance takes time, and there are no established pairings in this story AT ALL RIGHT NOW, so it will be a while before it pops up.Tell me what you think!

You know what comes next...:poke:

:poke poke:

The review button's calling you, if you don't press it, it cries. YOU DON'T WANT IT TO CRY DO YOU!


	6. Chapter 6

**_DISCLAIMER: The penguins tell me I own them, though I doubt that would hold up in court, so we'll simply take the easy route and say I don't, shall we?_**

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Mikal vaguely wondered if he had, perhaps, made some sort of mistake along the way. He shook that thought right out of his head. No, he hadn't made any mistake; Alan was simply confused, that was all. He hadn't proven to Alan that he was worthy of commanding him; that he was the only one that Alan would ever follow. He intended to rectify that as soon as possible. This was a test for him, Alan was testing him to see if he was worthy of his respect and loyalty and he would not fail. Alan was his, and as soon as he realized that everything would get back on track and they could put Alan's little mistake behind them. As soon as he paid for it of course. Just because Mikal had failed to prove himself to his soldier was no reason for this type of disobedience. Alan would understand that; he would see the error of his actions and submit willingly to his punishment, just like the perfect soldier he was. Just as soon as Mikal passed this test. Nodding to himself, the Commander continued his jog up the stairs, only slightly out of breath as he reached the top and kept pace all the way to the doorway near the end of the hall. Pausing, he released the safety on his weapon and entered his personal code to gain access to the room. There was no doubt this was where his Chimera was headed, and he intended to be there to greet him and show him properly just how great of a Commander he was.

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To the guards looking nervously around themselves in the hallways of the main complex, it seemed as if the shadows suddenly sprung to life. One moment, they were worriedly wondering what the commotion outside had been, and the next they were faced with the vengeful demons that had come to drag them all to hell. It was over in forever and a moment, in a spray of blood like rain and the silenced cries of fear uttered at the moment when it was realized that this was the end. Seconds after the last body had fallen and only the dripping sound of blood flowing from a dead man's wound could be heard, all that was left in the cold, bare hallway were the forms of five teenagers. Long brown locks lifted and swayed gently as Kira moved to look at their appointed leader. Hazel eyes met her own steel grey across the bent blond head for a moment before Bret looked away and walked up to Alan, gently placing a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention.

"Alan?" Blue eyes looked up at his friend, a small twist of lips into something resembling a smile, and Alan nodded to the taller boy.

"I'm fine, let's keep moving, shall we?" Not waiting for a response, Sarah and Amanda followed after the two boys with no hesitation, Kira falling into step shortly after, only pausing to wipe a dripping blade on the uniform of a fallen guard as she passed.

The hallways were quiet, no footsteps echoed as the teenagers wandered the halls. Searching for all the resistance first before moving on to their main destination yielded six more dead guards and two deactivated alarm systems, that in all honest were fairly pathetic considering who they were protecting against. At last, the five Chimera's were stood silent as shadows at the base of the stairs Alan remembered climbing behind Mikal to meet his family. Just the thought of the circumstances that surrounded that night was enough to make his blood boil with rage and a low growl nearly escape his throat. What right did that man think he had to use his family as blackmail against him? To treat him as a prized and perfect soldier that would do all he commanded because he held all the cards. Mikal certainly had a lot to pay for, and Alan was going to make sure he _paid_, dearly, for all the hurt he had ever caused to his family. He would make sure that fool of a 'commander' was never able to hold someone against him again.

Alan shifted and turned his attention to those standing behind him, patiently waiting for him to sort out how this was going to go down and tell them what their jobs would be. Chimera's certainly took loyalty to a high level, that was for certain. Anything Alan told them to do they would do in a heartbeat, because to them he was their leader; unable to lead them wrong and someone they trusted to protect and make decisions for with their lives. It was humbling, in a terrifying sort of way. He vaguely wondered if his father or brothers ever felt this way when they were commanding a rescue, and knowing that all those people were depending on them to save them. He wondered if they were ever as scared as he was now.

Shaking off any of those depressing thoughts, Alan let the full effect of the Chimera X serum wash through him in a way that he had never done before. He supposed it was only natural to subconsciously fight something so invasive as the serum was, and had been doing that since the very first changes he had felt. He fought most of his instincts just for the sake of not letting something like that take over and control him. Fighting it would only hurt him now, when he had people depending on him to make the right choices. He would need all the instincts and knowledge he could get to pull this off. Not to mention the added benefit of realizing there really were a hundred ways to kill someone with just your fingers, and he was fairly eager to try some of them on some certain people waiting just up the stairs for him.

"The target room is up those stairs on the left side, near the end of the hall. It's hard to miss with the all the security measures around it." Alan stated, picturing the attack he was about to plan out in his head. He met Bret's eyes, noting the complete focus there, as well as the reflective sheen on those hazel orbs from the security lights that lined the stairway. "I want Sarah and Amanda to enter first, head straight for the control panel on the left wall and get those fields down. There's likely to be some kind of resistance in the way, I trust you'll take care of it," Alan knew that with the amount of guards they had put out of order, it wasn't nearly enough for a complex of this size, not to mention they had seen more than that in their daily training. Calculating the possibility that they had incapacitated more than he had thought outside, Alan still assumed Mikal had dragged quite a few with him on the way to the room his family was held in. He gave them a look and watched as they glanced at each other before turning back to him and giving a short nod to show their agreement. Their smiles were feral enough he thought they could give a real hunting cat a run for its money. "Kira, follow after them immediately and take out any retaliation they get, watch their backs and help them guard my family when they're free. Cover their exit and guard the door once all of the hostages are gone so none can follow. Bret and I will take care of the other's in the room. Bret I want you to make sure no one interferes while I take out Mikal." Alan nearly growled out the last bit and hell if that wasn't a hair-raising sound. If they had any sense, Bret thought they'd run as far from Alan as they could, screw their leader. This led to Bret picturing Mikal shrieking in front of a bloodthirsty Alan while all his little soldiers ran away in terror. The thought almost made him grin, but he curbed his amusement enough to nod at Alan when he noticed his friend was staring at him slightly strangely. Now was not the time to imagine amusing scenarios like that. Not when he could possibly see it live a few minutes from now. Bret looked to Kira and saw her idly flipping a knife around her fingers while Alan explained to Amanda and Sarah in more detail about what he remembered the controls for the prison looked like. Ah, photographic memory. The Chimera serum certainly did have its perks. Catching Kira's eye she smiled and Bret was certain she was showing more teeth than was strictly necessary.

"Ready for the party?" She asked, not pausing her motions with the knife for even a moment as she put all her concentration on him. Bret smirked, noticing that Alan and the others were done conversing and they were ready to move.

"Absolutely." The word and the rolling purr beneath it sent shivers of anticipation down Alan's spine and he smiled as big as any hunter as he turned to the stairs, walking only half a step ahead of Sarah and Amanda.

"Then let's dance."

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Jeff knew everything was going wrong the moment the Chimera's appeared on the field for their weapons training. He didn't know how he knew; maybe it came from all of the rescues he had been involved with or overseen, or just some sixth sense that had never appeared until this moment, but somehow, he just knew. As soon as he saw one of the teenagers get stabbed, and registered that the red suddenly staining the field was in fact her blood, he knew something was going to happen. Something more than a girl losing her life needlessly. His thoughts were proved correct when all hell suddenly broke lose and the Chimera's attacked.

"Christ…" Gordon breathed; eyes wide in a sort of fascinated horror as he watched guard after guard fall to the Chimeras. And his little brother was in the middle of it, surrounded by Kira and people he vaguely recognized from Alan's school. The youngest Tracy hadn't even batted an eyelash, a far cry from the little boy that had looked up to them as members of International Rescue. It was in that moment, as Alan and his friends were left alone on a dead training field, Gordon knew his little brother, his best friend, was not who he used to be.

"Dad," Jeff turned from the horrors outside their prison to look at his oldest son, and almost wished he hadn't. Scott looked scared. An emotion he hadn't seen on the young man's face in quite some time. "You know he'll come here. Do we have a plan?"

John, Gordon, and Virgil looked from their oldest sibling to the Tracy patriarch, something akin to anxiety on their faces. Plans were good; they meant strategic thinking and an idea of what was going to happen next, something they depended on when involved in a rescue. This was something they could all understand, and they clung to it like a lifeline in the dark confusion the past couple of days had nearly drowned them in.

Langstead watched the family curiously, wondering at their structure and how such young boys were holding up so well and seemed so focused even in these uncertain circumstances. But then, he thought wryly, the country's most elite soldiers were little more than adolescents, so who was he to judge age by appearance?

Jeff cleared his throat, meeting each of his sons' eyes before thinking carefully of what they could possibly do to help if Alan made it to their cells. He glanced out the window and gulped inwardly. What the hell could **they** do to help? He thought, if Alan makes it here I think I'd just get in his way! Of course, that thought was fleeting and instantly replaced by the far more deeply ingrained fatherly instincts telling him to protect his child, as well as the experience he had dealing with, although admittedly different, no less stressful situations as a member of the Thunderbirds. So, he did what any good leader could possibly do, he made up a plan that seemed the most logical and the least dangerous for all involved while giving everyone something to cling to in their uncertainty.

"When Alan arrives here, we'll have to assume that he has some sort of plan and I don't want to interfere too much with that. As soon as we're released, we'll see what the situation is and help in any way that seems feasible. First priority will be to make sure everyone gets out of here safely. Help Alan, protect him and the others and make our way out of here and to a safe area where we can contact Tracy Island."

The boys all nodded their heads, agreeing that although the plan was incredibly vague and bound to change numeral times, it was all they had at the moment.

Langstead took everything in, coming to some rather interesting conclusions about his fellow cellmates, and settled back to wait for whatever happened next. He knew his daughter would be among those still with Alan, he suspected she knew that if Alan's family were captives, it was likely he would be there as well. The doctor drummed his fingers nervously on his bent knee, anxious to see Kira again face to face, instead of as a voyeur as he had for the past year.

There was silence in the windowed room for quite some time before the heavy tread of military boots echoed beyond the heavy door. Soon after, the whoosh of hydraulics as the security door was opened announced the arrival of their host, accompanied by fifteen tall, muscular, typical soldier-types. The musclemen spread throughout the room, four standing sentry near the heavy door, now locked, while four more held position in front of the electric-prison controls. The rest simply stood in pairs around the room, looking menacing but for that small glint of fear in their eyes that could be mistaken as a trick of the light. They had reason to be afraid, after all. They had overseen the Chimeras as they trained, and none of them had been any kind of gentle with them when they first arrived and throughout their stay. Mikal himself was smiling in a not quite-so-sane way to himself as he stood near Jeff's cell, looking down on the eldest Tracy with a manic gleam to his eyes, roving his gaze to each of his 'guests' in turn.

"My Alan will be here shortly, I'm sure. My lieutenant thinks he can disobey me. He'll learn. Though I admit, he has a right to test me; I haven't proven to him that he's mine to command. Not yet, thought after he finishes with my test, and receives his punishment for his actions, he'll know." Mikal nodded as he paced back and forth before his captive audience (literally), reaffirming that his statement was correct. "He'll know I deserve to command him. And the Elites will follow my Alan as their rightful leader, just as he follows me. I made them, after all, so it only fits that they shall be my soldiers, my prized ones. And the Elites will command all the rest, so that every Chimera knows their place in my army." A dreamy, insane smile spread across the harsh features of the Commander, eyes glazing slightly as they shifted from directly looking at Virgil (whom they had landed on while he paced) to a point slightly beyond the windowed-wall. "Oh, we'll raise such an army. An army of my children, bearers of the next generation to come. We'll bring for a new world! One only dreamed of until now, until my army, my Chimeras, my children. You'll be there to see it, of course. My lieutenant would surely be distraught if you were unable to see the world he brings. My world, and Alan will be by my side as it comes to pass. He'll always be with me. He'll be with me forever, because he's mine."

Mikal smiled sadistically at his hostages, staring at him with horrified eyes as he told them all his wonderful plans. They should feel privileged they held such high esteem with his Alan, they'd be able to see the New World his Elites would create for him, with him. Only the privileged held that honor.

Scott and his family could only watch in a terrified paralysis as Mikal spouted on about his 'world' and **'his'** Alan. The sheer possessive tone he used whenever the man spoke of his little brother nearly made Scott physically ill. And the way he spoke of him…If there had ever been a doubt that this man was in any way mad it had been shredded to pieces and cast to the wind.

They had been captured, forced to watch as the youngest in their family was submitted to and altered by some new drug a government scientist (who was currently two cells down from them) had created, made to view Alan breaking into a building and incapacitating everyone within with ease and **enthusiasm**, stared on as a teenage girl was stabbed and killed in a training exercise, and now looked on helplessly as the man behind it all claimed ownership on one of their family and ranted on dreamily about his New World Order.

In all the rescues they had ever preformed, in all the situations their family had faced, none could prepare them for this reality. Insanity has no order; no strict reasoning or cause, no set cure or combatant, and nothing could sway the Insane from what they believed to be real and a part of their world. And with dread in their hearts and fear racing along their spines, every member of the Tracy family now knew that their lives were in the hands of the Insane.

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_Heya! This is only part 1 of the chapter…it was complete, and I was very proud of myself for writing such a long chapter, **until my computer ate half of it! **So, since it's nearly midnight here, and I want to give you **something**, I'm posting this and it will have to tide you over until I can find all my written pages for the rest of this chapter and then type it up, **again**, and pray my computer does not eat it. _

_Hope you like! And you should **tell **me if you did…or even if you didn't (glares) aaaaaaaaaaaannnndddd….._

_REVIEW! …pretty please? _

…_Pretty please with Alan on top? (hehehehe)_

_Don't make me poke you..._

_HUGGLES TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!_

_Ta,_

_Nevair _


	7. Chapter 7

Alan swore his heart was going to beat its way right out of his chest the sound was so loud. It seemed to echo in the still hallway, bouncing off barren walls and dissipating once it reached the highly sensitive ears of the five Chimeras currently holding a silent conversation outside a heavily locked door. Bret sent a concerned glance at his friend, most likely actually hearing the increase in his heart rate and wondering if he was getting cold feet or something. Not likely, Alan thought with an inward grin. He winked one cat-like blue eye at his fellow Chimera to reassure him and was satisfied when Bret gave a little nod and returned his concentration to the door they needed to get open.

Taking a somewhat shaky breath, Alan tried to calm his suddenly hyper nerves and prepare himself to not make any mistakes once they entered. This was going to go down fast and he didn't have time to let his mind catch up with his body in a situation that was going to take all his concentration. Now, Alan wasn't nervous in the sense one might have thought considering what they were about to do. No, Alan was a little frightened that he **wasn't** nervous at all. His nerves were acting up out of anticipation, excitement, and downright giddiness. He couldn't wait to glide through that doorway, find the object of his homicidal urges and leap straight for his throat, feeling the wetness as his claws slid through delicate flesh…

Another shaky breath calmed those thoughts somewhat, sending them back to that dark place in his mind that seemed to be shadowing more and more of his thoughts lately. That was what made Alan nervous, that want, **need**, to hurt Mikal, to kill him. His family rescued people for a living! How were they going to accept him when he would gladly tear pieces off of anyone that even **thought** of hurting any one of them? What if they couldn't? What if they didn't-

No, there was no time for such wonderings. He still had to get them out. After that, well, he'd have to see what happened.

"You figured out how to open it?" Alan looked questioningly to Sarah, who had been examining the rather impressive lock sealing the heavy door shut.

"Um, yeah. You don't really care if they know we're coming, right?"

"If they're even half as smart as I give them credit for, I think they'll have already figured that out." Alan stated dryly. Sarah flushed a little and looked away from their leader for a moment before her gaze darted back to the door.

"Right. Well I say we just rip this thing off. It should short out the door and it'll open right up, course that means it'll never close again but that really shouldn't be a problem…"

Kira looked at the two boys doubtfully, moving her glance from Sarah to the door and back again. "You're sure it won't just completely lock us out if we do that? You tear that off and there's **no** way for us to get in or anyone to get out if it doesn't work."

"Oh, it will definitely work. I was top of my computer and engineering classes back at…school." Sarah paused, the word sounding almost foreign to her now. Had they really only been there a few days? It seemed like an eternity. "But yes, just trust me. It will work."

Kira nodded, noticing the girls stutter at the mention of anything before the Chimera training. She knew the feeling. Life outside these walls seemed an eternity ago, not a reassuring thought when she was hoping to return to it shortly. The thought stopped her cold. What was there for her to return to? Her father's life was this project, and she hadn't seen him since her unwilling participation in it. For all she knew her father was dead and she'd have nowhere to go and no one to go to after this was over. Her throat seemed tighter, and she refused to acknowledge the difficulty she was having swallowing. She was a soldier now, for all intents and purposes; she wouldn't allow herself to break down before the mission was complete.

"You guys ready? Or are we just going to stand here for the rest of eternity?" Amanda rose from where she had been leaning against the far wall, watching as the other teenagers bickered and paced with tightly leashed energy. "As fun as this is, I'd rather like to be getting on with it sometime soon."

Sheepish expressions covered the majority of their faces, realizing they had been stalling quite a bit. All except for Kira, who seemed lost in her own thoughts. A pointed nudge from Alan and Kira had snapped out of it, nodding once sharply to show she was with them and ready to move.

"On the count of three then. One, two, three –"

oOo

The slight hiss of the door opening was the only warning any of the rooms' occupants had before all hell broke loose. No sooner had the guards reacted to the sight of the opening door than several of them were on the floor bleeding from mortal wounds. Mikal moved quickly towards the controls for the cells holding the Tracys captive, knowing that would be the first place his dear Alan would head for.

Sarah moved quickly, dodging the clumsy kicks and fists aimed at her by the guards while heading steadily towards her goal. She wouldnt let Alan down, after hed gotten them this close to freedom the least she could do was help him free his family. In her peripheral vision she saw Amanda take down another of the guards, leaving only three more completely functional while another five might possibly be able to drag themselves off the floor with their injuries to cause some trouble for them. She doubted it though; when they hit they hit hard and you were unlikely to be walking away afterwards.

Another quick dodge and step later, Sarah focused her complete attention on the control panel in front of her, many engineering and program courses flashing through her mind aided by the Chimera serum allowing her to quickly analyze the technology. A warning screamed in her head just soon enough to let her drop down to the floor as Mikal aimed a perfect shot where her head had been moments before. Shattered concrete and dust rained down on her, coating her arms lightly. A quick roll to the side, push to her feet, and another dodged bullet later Sarah noticed Alan tackle Mikal down to the floor with enough force to send them sliding several feet along the smooth surface. Danger removed, return to the mission. Fingers flying over keys, eyes scanning information scrolling across an illuminated screen, and seconds later the rush of success flooded her system.

Bret heard Alan snarl and saw the graceful lunge that brought both to the ground, smiling inwardly as he returned to guarding his friend's back. There was no way he was going to let some incompetent guard ruin Alans fun, what kind of friend would he be then? One of the still-standing soldiers rushed him and Bret prepared himself for a quick battle, balancing lightly on the balls of his feet while bending his knees in preparation of the attack. Blood rushing through his veins, breath shallow with excitement, he sprung.

Amanda stood with Sarah, shoving back the two men that had managed to pull themselves up only to be knocked back nearly instantaneously. The girls shared a quick grin and settled back to watch the finale between their leader and the mad man that was responsible for all their current problems.

Kira checked her surroundings quickly, noting that everything was under control and that the captives had successfully been freed. With a quick hitch in her breath, she moved towards the five unrecognized men standing with her father. Her father. Just the thought of it sent her stomach jumping with emotion. She hadn't seen him since that day...god she couldn't even remember how long ago that was. What would the others do when they realized that he was responsible for creating the serum that now flooded their bodies? Would they hunt him, kill him, bleed him for the terrible things his work had been used for? No...Please no. It wasn't his fault he didn't have a choice he didn't know what it was used for please don't hurt him don't blame him please –

Such thoughts were no help to her now; if it came down to it she would fight to protect him. At the moment, her mission was to protect Alan's family and her father.

The rush felt heady, nearly intoxicating, filling his head and body with uncontrolled currents of energy that had to be used in some way or another. Alan felt the need to fight, to shed this horrible man's blood on the scuffed cold floor of the prison room he had trapped his family in. Just the thought set an animalistic snarl loose from the depths of his soul. How dare he touch the people so precious to him? What right did he think he had to hold them against their will? To hold** him** against his will? Warm crimson covered his hands, coating them with the life of one who so dearly deserved to die. Another strike, the feeling of bone shattering under his fist and he danced away from the retaliation. Didn't he know that humans were not meant to play God?

Mikal cradled his broken ribs with his good arm, furiously blinking the foreign red fluid from his eyes. What was Alan thinking, to make him bleed, to attack him in such a manner? His favoured Chimera moved to strike again and the forced roll to the side cause agony to flare up his body from the many injuries inflicted by this wrathful predator stalking his prey with such grace. He didn't understand why Alan would turn on him like this. Mikal felt the sticky wetness on the side of his head, noticed the slow darkening in his vision and saw the beautiful fire that burned within Alan's eyes as he stalked closer, closer, closer, and the hellish pain that lit up his world before sending him into darkness and he knew, somewhere, that he had made a mistake.

oOo

Harsh breaths panted through him, filling the silent air with sound as his heartbeat calmed slowly and the rush receded slightly back into the new dark corners of his mind where things like _bloodlust _and _hunt _now resided. Alan chanced a quick scan around the room, noting the bodies scattered across the floor and his fellow Chimeras standing calmly and waiting for instruction. His father and brothers standing near the window and accompanied by an unfamiliar man that was hugging the daylights out of Kira. He tried not to look at their faces, not wanting to see that something –_hate- _in their eyes that would shatter what was left of his heart and mind after the last few days. He couldn't **not **look though, wasn't capable of denying that ingrained need to look up at the people he had adored and worshipped in those sunny days before he had felt such pleasure in taking a life. He met his father's eyes first, saw that shiny wet look to them that he had never seen before, only to tense slightly as Jeff moved forward one step slowly, and then ran to his youngest son to take him in his arms and shield him from the crippled form lying at his feet, the blood on his hands, the **everything** that had occurred in the past few days.

Something like a sob choked up into the stifling silence in the room, and it seemed a signal to the rest of the Tracy boys to move forward and surround their eldest and youngest in a protective circle. Relief scorched through each of them, the feeling of just maybe, possibly, perhaps this could be over and they could go back to their paradise home and never need to think on it again.

"Oh, Alan Alan Alan." A litany of just his name over and over fell from his father's lips and into his heart, warming that cold dread that had begun to grow and spread like a plague at the first thoughts and imaginings of their disappointment, scorn, hate. Lies now dispersed and vanquished by the love and relief and –_oh thank god he's okay, we're okay- _that surrounded him in a treasured embrace.

Sweet hugs and reassurances that he was okay and that no they hadn't been harmed, and after Alan had been passed around to all of his brothers for their own assurances until he made it back to his father, and he was finally released. Sarah and Amanda shared small smiles before sending their one-time leader a nod of respect and thankyous and goodbyes all rolled into one before sliding out the door and disappearing with the hateful grace that haunted their every step now back into their lives outside. Bret stood with Alan; somehow managing to find his way through the protective wall of Tracy's that surrounded him. Kira stood with her father, Dr. Langstead as he was introduced moments later, seeming oddly protective and unsure of Alan's reaction to him.

Once the feelings of anger and resentment and acceptance and relief that chased themselves in a continuous whirlwind through his mind and heart calmed somewhat and allowed him to breathe easy without the constant crushing presence they provided, the weight of everything that had happened took their places and a different kind of tired enveloped his being. Eyes sliding closed to the outside world, head leaning on an assuring, friendly shoulder conveniently placed beside him and at the perfect height-_Bret, thank you, my friend, we made it, we're free-_ and the comforting presence of his family around him holding the nightmares at bay, Alan felt his age for once.

"Scotty, Dad, I want to go home." He appealed to his two constant protectors, his elders and caregivers; His anchor in John, his confidant in Virgil, his best friend and closest brother in Gordon. They moved with him, never leaving his side as they travelled the many miles towards familiar faces and a beloved home and in the presence of his saviours, his rescuers, the people that would never let those dark places in his mind consume him utterly, his thunderbirds, he was safe.

oOo

A.N: I apologize for the delay but the past month or so has literally been hell. I won't go into it, but there were some deaths I had to deal with and so I'm kind of in an odd mood lately (can you tell by the odd and depressing ending?). Hope you guys liked it if you're still with me and reading, and I should probably mention that this is the end of the first part, however I've got ideas for a sequel (which is where the pairings I asked you to vote for are going to show up...you can still vote by the way, just let me know what you want!) so you can look forward to that.

Thanks for all of your great reviews and for sticking with my horribly slow updates:sheepish grin:

Nevair


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